The People Behind the Work

Leigh Solomon Pugliano, President & CEO

Leigh Solomon Pugliano is an entrepreneur, educator, and experienced strategist who has helped to scale established businesses, creative small businesses, entrepreneurs, and nonprofit organizations. Leigh provides organizational development support through consulting, strategic planning, and developing and implementing initiatives specifically designed for organizations to increase their impact and move toward sustainability.

For over a decade, Leigh served as Principal Consultant at Straightforward Consulting, a consulting and strategy firm she founded in 2011. Straightforward Co. specializes in areas that strengthen programming and services, increase productivity, and improve overall organizational health. Managing and/or consulting on creative, strategic, and operational projects and supporting organizations in building great places to work. People, Place, and Process are the tenets that guide the work. Strategies are centered around our values of justice, equity, access, and inclusion, with great emphasis on leadership, organizational effectiveness, and community engagement and advancement. Leigh is also the Founder and Director of Barrels to Beethoven, and Co-Founder of Limelight Creative. Leigh has received several awards and recognition for her work, including Pittsburgh Courier Fab 40, Women in Business, The World Affairs Council Illuminate Award, and the YWCA Equity Award for Bridge Builder.

In her newest role as CEO of the Equity | Impact Center, Leigh intends to advance the work of social justice organizations and drive equitable systems change throughout the U.S. with a specific focus on the Pittsburgh region. Leigh is originally from Guyana, South America, and currently lives in Pittsburgh, PA, with her husband and three daughters.

Equity | Impact Center Program Support Team:

Diarra Clarke, Advisor, Wellness and Culture

Rachel Amanor, Community Data Scientist

Equity | Impact Center Partners

McKoy Creative

Covalent

Photo by Kitoko

Equity | Impact Center Board of Directors and Advisors